Movies, mindfulness, and musings.

On a Personal Note

We found out today that our Irish Terrier, Patrick, has a large, fast-growing cancerous tumor in his leg. His groomer found it last week, and our vet confirmed it this afternoon. The vet said that in the other case like this that he’s seen, the cancer is very aggressive. Our groomer said that she’s seen this in dogs before, and their legs swell to 4x their regular size. At this point, our vet is discussing with the surgeon what can be done. They want to try to operate to remove the tumor in order to biopsy and stage it, and go from there.

Any good vibes, thoughts, and prayers are much appreciated. I don’t usually get personal on this blog, but I know there are a lot of like-minded animal lovers in the blogosphere, and I could any good energy you might send by.

Patrick is really my mom’s dog, but he has been a part of our family for 10 years. We got him when I was starting college, and he’s been making us laugh ever since. The picture above was taken the first day we got him – after we picked him up from the airport where he flew in from Dublin, Ireland.

Patrick is handsome, funny, sneaky, and brave. But he’s also very sensitive. I hope he has it in him to fight whatever this is. Whatever the outcome, we are going to make sure he is comfortable throughout it all. No painful tests or treatments. If it’s the worst case, we are going to enjoy the time we have with him.

The good news is that he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. He’s running around, playing, chasing the cats, and eating voraciously as always. He’s still Patrick, and until that changes, we’re going to help him get through whatever this is.